


Mysterious Ways

by mahoni



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: 1000-5000 Words, Action/Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-17
Updated: 2007-08-17
Packaged: 2017-10-03 06:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahoni/pseuds/mahoni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which there are cannibals, and Teyla kicks ass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mysterious Ways

They went to M10-198 because they heard that a clan of semi-reclusive tunnel-dwellers there occasionally traded for a medicinal fungus they grew underground. They also, incidentally, heard that the clan had a reputation for asking visitors to their planet to bless all manner of Ancient gizmos as some sort of welcoming ritual. The people of P22-33X described a few of the items they'd seen, which caused Rodney to insist that there was nothing he would like better than to investigate a fungus that could possibly save millions of lives. And, oh, maybe have a look at some, hey, who knows, potentially never-before-discovered groundbreaking Ancient tech while they were there, too.

A handful of locals met them an easy distance from the main tunnel entrance. Sure enough, they solemnly gave each of the team a smallish item of Ancient design.

The blessing part never happened, though, because as soon as Sheppard and Rodney touched theirs the little machines lit up and, in Rodney's case, took his temperature.

After a brief stunned silence, during which one of the natives paled, wobbled, and almost passed out, the greeting party erupted in excitement. Sheppard and Teyla tried to explain that he and Rodney were _not_ the second coming of the Ancients, but Rodney shouted them all down and drew them back to the most critical issue.

"How much more of this stuff do you people have?"

*

The Nourri did, in fact, have a ton of Ancient junk lying around. Not that Rodney actually had a chance to look at any of it, though, since the Nourri attacked and _tried to eat them_ pretty much right off the bat.

Small torches spaced ridiculous distances apart left the tunnels filled with far too many shadows. Rodney stayed as close as possible to Teyla as they moved through the semi-darkness.

"Do I want to know what you said to that guy?" Rodney whispered.

Teyla was good with people. In the past, Rodney had seen her talk down aggressive or frightened Pegasus natives, negotiating safe passage or even alliance where there could have been bloodshed. He'd sat through hours of bartering, hanging in the background with Sheppard and Ford, and later Ronon, while Teyla convinced their trade partners to forget about asking for some of the amazing Atlantean weaponry (for some reason usually the first thing Pegasus natives asked for) and agree to more practical (and SGC protocol-friendly) trade items like Athosian root crops or stores of desalinated water.

He'd never seen her make anyone _cry_ before, though.

"No," she said, stopping them at the tunnel junction and checking that their way was clear before moving them on. "You do not."

In retrospect, the offer from one group of Nourri to show Sheppard and Ronon some Ancient weaponry while another group showed Rodney and Teyla items of a more scientific, or possibly just domestic, purpose was obviously a ploy to divide and conquer. But the people had been so happy to see them, so friendly and welcoming. There was no way they could have guessed that was because the Nourri were a cult of insane cannibals who believed the Wraith had gained dominion over the humans by eating the gods, i.e. the Ancients. They also believed that if they ate the gods, i.e. Rodney and Sheppard, they would attain equal power and bring about a new era of supremacy over the Wraith blah blah batshit crazy blah.

They'd gotten all of this from the Nourri Teyla had not beaten unconscious during the attack. Realizing that Sheppard could be heading to somebody's dinner plate _right that very second_ Rodney had, possibly somewhat hysterically, suggested breaking the guy's legs to make him talk. It worked in those mafia movies, didn't it? But Teyla had left him to guard the door and had sat down beside the bound man. Her tightly controlled expression of calm hadn't wavered as she spoke softly to him, but after not very long at all, the color had drained from the man's face and the defiant fanaticism had faded from his eyes. He had started sobbing quietly, and then told them where to find their friends.

"You know," Rodney said. "You're probably right. I don't want to know."

*

The two Nourri guarding the room at the end of the corridor had abandoned their posts and were hovering just inside the door, watching the scene. Teyla bludgeoned them both with her P90 before they even knew she was there.

Dozens of Nourri were scattered, unconscious, around the room. Rodney realized this was most likely why he and Teyla hadn't run into anyone in the tunnels -- everyone else appeared to be here trying to subdue Sheppard and Ronon.

Several men, all some degree of battered, had piled on top of Ronon, attempting to hold him long enough for another man to throttle him with a length of rope.

At the other side of the room, half a dozen more Nourri worked to pin Sheppard to the ground as he thrashed and heaved against them. One of them howled in pain -- Sheppard appeared to have the man's hand clenched between his teeth, hanging on determinedly as the man beat at him to make him let go.

Teyla unholstered her handgun, and with weapons aimed at both parties fired two shots simultaneously from both it and the P90.

In the subterranean room, the sound was deafening. Rodney couldn't help flinching and clapping his hands over his ears. All of the Nourri did the same, except for the man throttling Ronon and the man whose hand Sheppard was ravaging. They screamed and collapsed, clutching an arm and a shoulder respectively.

After a moment the gunshot echos died away, and the only sounds in the ear-ringing silence were the whimpers of the wounded men. All eyes were on Teyla.

"I do not wish to kill you," she said. "Release my friends and go stand against the wall in the back of the room with your hands on your heads."

At first no one moved. Then Ronon, coughing and gasping, clobbered one of his captors off him with a right hook, and twisted out of the slack grip of the others. He scooted out of the line of fire, toward where his weapon lay discarded against the wall.

Sheppard's P90 had been tossed aside as well and lay within reach of his captors. Apparently thinking that Ronon's movements would provide a distraction, the man Teyla had shot leaned slightly back and began sliding his hand toward the gun. Rodney saw it and opened his mouth to warn Teyla, but another crack split the air. The man cried out and fell back, throwing his arms over his head.

"I will not ask again," Teyla said.

*

Half-way to the gate Rodney staggered and stopped. "Okay," he wheezed. "Unless we've got a pack of cannibals hot on our tail, I need to stop for a minute."

The Nourri were currently trapped in their tunnels by a minor rockslide, courtesy of one of their grenades, but Rodney looked to Teyla just in case she thought it still wouldn't be safe to stop.

She nodded. "I think it will be all right to rest a bit." She lay her hand on Ronon's arm, applying gentle pressure to direct him to take a break, too. "I will keep watch."

Rodney unhooked Sheppard's arm from over his shoulder and eased him as gently to the ground as possible. Which was not very gently; Sheppard landed with an "oof" followed by an "_oww_. Geez, Rodney." Rodney ignored him and collapsed flat on his back beside him.

Ronon dropped cross-legged to the ground, catching Sheppard as he listed sideways. He propped Sheppard up against him and leaned in for a little support himself. The Nourri hadn't underestimated the two of them as they'd done with Rodney and Teyla; a group of at least a dozen had attacked them, with more waiting in reserve. They looked like refugees from a _Die Hard_ movie, bloody and bruised. Ronon was at least mobile, but Sheppard was still seeing double and had a tendency to forget how to make his legs work when standing or walking. Hence Rodney having to drag his ass halfway across the continent to the Stargate.

"Rodney," Sheppard said suddenly.

Rodney grunted.

"Those people wanted to _eat_ us."

That had to be the twelfth time Sheppard had said that since their escape. Rodney glared at him. "Would you stop saying that? I know! We all know! You know," he added. "It's disturbing enough that the Wraith want to eat us. Why did there have to be human cannibals, too? It's not _fair_."

"How did you guys get away?" Sheppard asked. "Did Teyla kick everybody's asses?"

"Hey!" Rodney said. "I helped!"

Sheppard smiled muzzily up at Teyla, who stood over them with her eyes on the path back toward the Nourri settlement. He reached up and tugged at the hem of her jacket and said, "Thank you, Teyla."

She glanced down at him and smiled back. "You are welcome."

"Have I told you lately how awesome you are and how glad I am to have you around?" he asked.

"Not recently, no."

"Well, you are. And I am. Because if you hadn't been here, I'd be watching somebody eat my guts right now."

Rodney clapped his hands over his ears. "Oh my god, would you _please shut up_? I'm going to barf. And also?" Rodney shoved up on his elbows. "You've never told _me_ how awesome I am and how glad you are to have me around."

Sheppard sighed and dropped his head back against Ronon's shoulder. "Yes, Rodney, I love you too. And Ronon." He tried to pat Ronon's leg but missed. "But I love Teyla the most, because if it wasn't for her people would be eating my --"

"Okay!" Rodney said. "Okay! I'm done resting. Let's go."

Teyla gave him a hand up and as he came to his feet beside her he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um. By the way."

Teyla quirked a smile and raised an eyebrow expectantly. Rodney was, not for the first time, a little astonished at the fact that this woman who could chart the destinies of entire tribes with her words, knock huge warriors on their asses with her little finger, and, apparently, break a man's spirit with a whisper, held nothing but friendship and respect in her eyes when she looked at him.

Despite the day's trauma (cannibals! _why?_), Rodney found himself smiling back at her. "What Sheppard said."

*


End file.
